Device for counting newspapers and the like



March 23, 1965 DEVICE FOR COUNTING NEWSPAPERS Filed June 18, 1962 B0 ROBERT JUNIOR CARLEN AND THE. LIKE INVENTOR. Z90 Aoamr 6,4 m BY jm7 r-JM United States Patent 3,174,686 DEVICE FOR COUNTING NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE Bo Robert Junior Carln, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to AB Bonnierforetagen, Stockhoim, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,089 Claims priority, application Sweden, Apr. 25, 1962, 4,587/ 62 7 Claims. (Cl. 235-98) This invention relates to a device for counting the number of passing copies of newspapers or the like.

The speed of newspaper printing machines is more and more increasing, and it is not unusual for a newspaper printing machine to deliver 60,000 to 70,000 copies per hour. When the printed and folded newspapers are dis charged from the folder for distribution it is desirable to count the number of newspapers produced. This is accomplished by counting apparatuses which usually are arranged such that the individual newspaper copies act upon the counting apparatus located adjacent the current of issuing newspapers. However, conventional counting apparatuses are not able to count the newspapers exactly at the high speeds occurring nowadays. The object of the invention is to provide a counting apparatus which is able to function faultlessly even at the highest occurring spmds and in addition is of a simple and reliable construction.

The invention is substantially characterized by a ratchet wheel which is operatively connected to a counting apparatus and the teeth of which are located such that the leading edges of a current of arriving newspaper copies or the like in turn revolve the ratchet wheel step by step and by a device located downstream of the ratchet wheel adapted to deflect the newspaper copies arriving from the ratchet wheel such as to provide an interspace between the newspaper copies at substantially right angles to the direction of the current suflicient to permit unobstructed turning movement of the ratchet wheel.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinbelow by way of example with reference to the annexed drawing which is a diagrammatic sectional view of the device according to the invention in operative position relative to a current of newspapers.

The device according to the invention is in the form of a counting head assembly from one side of which a rotatable ratchet wheel is partly projecting outwards. The ratchet wheel 1 has for instance eight teeth in engagement with a leaf spring 2 the contact pressure of which is adjustable by means of a screw 3. A pair of endless continuously driven band-like guide members, such as chains 4 are running inside the tips of the teeth about sprocket wheels the shafts of which are mounted in the counting head assembly in parallel relation to the shaft of the ratchet wheel. Mounted downstream of the ratchet wheel 1 are two continuously driven wheels 5 which project outside the chains 4. On either side of the ratchet wheel 1 as viewed in axial direction, there is provided a photocell member consisting, for instance, of a phototransistor 6 and a source of light, not shown, the ratchet of which extends through the path of movement of the teeth such that the teeth during rotation of the ratchet wheel will cut off the ratchet of light between the source of light and the phototransistor. The pulses produced in the phototransistor are preferably transmitted to an electronic decade counter which may be devised to record the number of newspapers counted or, in addition thereto, to render possible programming and controlling of other functions.

The counting head is suitably located at a place where the current 7 of newspapers is flowing out between two conveyor belts S, 9 and is bent downwards under the the influence of gravity. The current of newspapers should be arranged such that the newspapers are delivered with the folded side in front. The chains 4 which are driven continuously at the same or at a somewhat higher speed than the current of the newspapers assist in drawing down the backs of the newspapers so as to guide same toward the ratchet wheel and facilitate gradual rotation of this wheel. When the backs of the newspapers are passing the counting head assembly, they are moving the teeth of the ratchet wheel step by step whereupon the newspapers are bent or deflected away from the ratchet wheel by means of the pair of wheels 5. If the current of newspapers is moving at a low speed the pressure exerted by the spring 2 on the ratchet wheel may be low, but it should be increased if the speed is high and the newspaper copies are thick. The peripheral speed of the wheels 5 is somewhat higher than the speed of movement of the newspapers.

It is not necessary to have the advancing movement of the ratchet wheel indicated by photoelectric means. Instead, it is possible to connect the ratchet wheel directly for instance with a mechanical counting apparatus or to have the movement of the spring act upon a counting device.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for counting the number of passing copies of newspapers or the like comprising:

(a) a horizontal conveyor for feeding a uniform overlapping stream of newspapers,

(b) a discharge end on said conveyor which allows said stream of newspapers to deflect downward by gravity,

(0) a counter having a ratchet wheel, said counter located in the vertical plane below said discharge end in the zone of deflection of said stream of newspapers,

(d) guiding means located in the vertical plane between said discharge end and said counter for guiding the leading edges of the newspapers in said stream of newspapers into engagement with said ratchet wheel of said counter so that the path described by said newspaper edges is lying within the operating range of said ratchet wheel of said counter, and

(e) deflecting means located in the vertical plane below said counter to deflect the projecting leading edges of the outmost newspapers away from said ratchet wheel.

2. A device for counting the number of passing flexible members comprising:

(a) horizontal conveying means for feeding said flexible members,

(b) a discharge end on said horizontal conveying means which allows the leading edges of said flexible members to deflect downwardly under the influence of gravity,

(0) counting means disposed adjacent said discharge end in the vertical plane having actuating means disposed in the path defined by the leading edges of said flexible members so that said actuating means are actuated by said leading edges to operate said counting means,

(d) guiding means disposed in the vertical plane between said discharge end and said actuating means to guide said leading edges toward said actuating means, and

(e) deflecting means located in the vertical plane be low said counting means adapted to deflect said flexible members arriving from said actuating means so as to provide an interspace between flexible members at substantially right angles to the direction of said stream to permit unobstructed operation of said actuating means.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting means comprises at least one wheel member having means operatively connected thereto to operate said wheel member at a circumferential speed exceeding the linear speed of the newspapers.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the guiding means comprises at least one endless chain like guide members moving in the direction of the stream past the place where the ratchet wheel of the counter is located.

5. A device according to claim 2, wherein said actuating means includes a ratchet wheel.

6. A device according to claim 2, wherein said guide means includes at least one endless chain member, and means operatively connected to said endless chain member to drive same.

7. A device according to claim 2, wherein said deflecting means includes at least one wheel member, and means operatively connected to said wheel member to drive same at a peripheral speed higher than the linear speed of said stream of flexible members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 LEYLAND Mi MARTIN, Primary Examiner.

LEO SMILOW, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR COUNTING THE NUMBER OF PASSING COPIES OF NEWPAPERS OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: (A) A HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR FOR FEEDING A UNIFORM OVERLAPPING STREAM OF NEWPAPERS, (B) A DISCHARGE END ON SAID CONVEYOR WHICH ALLOWS SAID STREAM OF NEWSPAPER TO DEFLECT DOWNWARD BY GRAVITY, (C) A COUNTER HAVING A RATCHET WHEEL, SAID COUNTER LOCATED IN THE VERTICAL PLANE BELOW SAID DISCHARGE END IN THE ZONE OF DEFLECTION OF SAID STREAM OF NEWSPAPERS, (D) GUIDING MEANS LOCATED IN THE VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN SAID DISCHARGE END AND SAID COUNTER FOR GUIDING THE LEADING EDGES OF THE NEWSPAPERS IN SAID STREAM OF NEWSPAPERS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RATCHET WHEEL OF SAID COUNTER SO THAT THE PATH DESCRIBED BY SAID NEWSPAPER EDGES IS LYING WITHIN THE OPERATING RANGE OF SAID RATCHET WHEEL OF SAID COUNTER, AND (E) DEFLECTING MEANS LOCATED IN THE VERTICAL PLANE BELOW SAID COUNTER TO DEFLECT THE PROJECTING LEADING EDGES OF THE OUTMOST NEWSPAPERS AWAY FROM SAID RATCHET WHEEL. 